Asahi Pentax-F 70-200mm - vintage lens eview
The F series were the first autofocus lenses produced
by Pentax around 1988 to 1991.
They used a screw-drive type autofocus, meaning that the motor was in the camera body, which surprisingly is still supported by modern Pentax digital cameras.
At the same time, being able to focus manually and having a physical aperture ring means that they can also be used with older analog bodies, like the k1000 or this p30.
I just love how Pentax engineers have managed to keep everything compatible for, what, 40 plus years now?
The lens has a plastic body, it weights 500g, it is 116 to 160mm long and it has an external diameter of 72mm, with a 49mm front thread.
The iris had 9 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4 at 70mm or f5.6 at 200mm to f32 with half steps plus auto. The small green dot indicates the actual aperture at 200mm.
The focusing ring is small and not really meant to be used manually and it turns 240 degrees. Minimum focusing distance is 1,1 meters and the front turns when focusing.
The Pentax K mount has a flange distance of 45,46mm.
It balances better than I was expecting even on smaller camera bodies like the P30. Focusing manually feels a bit janky but it is precise.
Sharpness wide open is very good, with just some fuzziness in the corners and by f8 it gets tack sharp all over.
Wide open, chromatic aberration can be spotted in high contrast areas, but it is rarely noticeable.
Colors are pleasant and warm with good contrast and saturation.
Specular highlights change based on the focal length, but they always have harder edges..
Flares and ghosting are very well controlled.
People on the internet like to hate on this era of lenses, saying that image and build quality are terrible, there is no character and many would not even consider them vintage.
Truth be told, I don’t give a damn, I like this lens: it does its job and it does it well.
In fact, it made me even more curious to try more lenses from this era.
As always, don't forget to check the video for all the samples!
They used a screw-drive type autofocus, meaning that the motor was in the camera body, which surprisingly is still supported by modern Pentax digital cameras.
At the same time, being able to focus manually and having a physical aperture ring means that they can also be used with older analog bodies, like the k1000 or this p30.
I just love how Pentax engineers have managed to keep everything compatible for, what, 40 plus years now?
The lens has a plastic body, it weights 500g, it is 116 to 160mm long and it has an external diameter of 72mm, with a 49mm front thread.
The iris had 9 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4 at 70mm or f5.6 at 200mm to f32 with half steps plus auto. The small green dot indicates the actual aperture at 200mm.
The focusing ring is small and not really meant to be used manually and it turns 240 degrees. Minimum focusing distance is 1,1 meters and the front turns when focusing.
The Pentax K mount has a flange distance of 45,46mm.
It balances better than I was expecting even on smaller camera bodies like the P30. Focusing manually feels a bit janky but it is precise.
Sharpness wide open is very good, with just some fuzziness in the corners and by f8 it gets tack sharp all over.
Wide open, chromatic aberration can be spotted in high contrast areas, but it is rarely noticeable.
Colors are pleasant and warm with good contrast and saturation.
Specular highlights change based on the focal length, but they always have harder edges..
Flares and ghosting are very well controlled.
People on the internet like to hate on this era of lenses, saying that image and build quality are terrible, there is no character and many would not even consider them vintage.
Truth be told, I don’t give a damn, I like this lens: it does its job and it does it well.
In fact, it made me even more curious to try more lenses from this era.
As always, don't forget to check the video for all the samples!
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